Sigiriya

29 February 2020

A morning visit to Sigiriya, probably the most visted site in Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress nearly 200 metres high.  The Rock was selected by King Kashyapa (477 – 495 AD) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion, hence the name Lion Rock from which the word Sigiriya is derived.

The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king’s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.  Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site.

We hired an official guide which proved to be a mistake as he rushed us around at a ridiculous pace and rather spoilt the visit for us, not helped by the fact that it was ferociously hot the day we visited.